Gordo was in a great mood when he woke up the next morning. It was summer,
he could drive and best of all he was seeing the girl of his dreams!
Nothing could bring him down today! He, Miranda and Lizzie were going to
spend the day by the McGuire's pool, just hanging out.
"David?" his mother asked as she popped her head into his room, "I have to talk to you about something."
Gordo stood up from where he had been sitting on the floor and said, "Yeah?"
"You remember your cousin Brad, right?" she asked tentatively.
"Yeah, so what?" Gordo asked.
"Well, your Uncle Tom has to spend the summer in Taiwan for his job and he is sending Brad to stay with us," she said.
"The whole summer?" Gordo asked incredulously.
"Yes," his mother said apologetically.
"When does he get here?" Gordo asked.
"His flight arrives tonight." His mother said quietly and left the room.
Nothing could ruin his good mood, except for this. Gordo couldn't believe it; his perfect summer was going to be ruined by his nerdy cousin Brad. It had been a few years since he'd seen him, but he was sure he was still the same old Brad; the Brad who was allergic to grass and couldn't play outside, who wore thick glasses and tube socks up to his knees and the Brad who followed Gordo around like a lost puppy and messed up all his plans.
Gordo grabbed his stuff and as he headed out the front door he heard his mother call, "David, you need to be home for dinner by 6:30 to greet Brad. You can invite Miranda and Lizzie if you want to; just make sure you're here."
When he got to Lizzie's house he could hear Miranda and Lizzie already in the back yard. He circled around the house, flopped into a lounge chair and dramatically said, "Just kill me now!"
"Hey Gordo!" Lizzie called as she swam to the side of the pool, "What's the matter?"
"Do you guys remember my cousin Brad?" Gordo asked.
"You mean that dorky kid who was here a few summers ago?" Miranda asked.
"Yeah, that kid who couldn't stop talking about Star Trek?" Lizzie asked
"Yeah, that's the guy," Gordo said glumly, "He is spending the whole summer at my house. His Dad is going to Taiwan for the summer for work and I get stuck with Brad."
"That stinks, sorry Gordo," Miranda said.
"Maybe he's changed," Lizzie offered, "It won't be that bad."
"That's what we thought the last time he came, but remember how we spent the whole summer trying to ditch him?" Gordo asked.
Miranda and Lizzie nodded as they remembered.
"Can you guys come to dinner tonight?" Gordo asked, "I have to be home at 6:30 for dinner; my mom said I could invite you."
"Sure," both girls said with mock enthusiasm.
"Thanks, it will be more bearable with you there," Gordo said half- heartedly.
Gordo managed to enjoy his last Brad-free afternoon of the summer. He, Lizzie and Miranda enjoyed playing and lounging in and around the pool. Lizzie was wearing her bikini again and Gordo was enjoying putting his hands on her bare shoulders and stomach.
Miranda was also very aware of Gordo and Lizzie's enjoyment of each other. She fought the urge to roll her eyes in disgust every time they had their hands and lips all over each other. It wasn't that it was so gross, just hard to watch when she was waiting for someone to act the same way with. She didn't want to admit it, but she was feeling jealous of what Gordo and Lizzie had. She felt like a jerk, she'd worked so hard to get them together, now she wasn't sure she could handle what she'd created.
"Miranda, come in the pool with us!" Lizzie called. Miranda had been skimming through a magazine while Gordo and Lizzie were horsing around in the pool.
"Yeah, in a minute," Miranda answered. She had thought about making up an excuse and going home, but she didn't want to be a poor sport. She just had to hope that things would get better, but unless she stopped caring she wasn't sure what would change.
After playing in the pool for another hour the three decided they'd better get ready for dinner at the Gordon residence. Miranda left first leaving Gordo and Lizzie alone. They were sitting together on a lounge chair. Gordo was sitting behind Lizzie and she was leaning into his chest.
"Gordo, I'm not sure we're doing a great job of making sure Miranda doesn't feel like a third wheel. We were having a great time, but I felt like Miranda just wanted to get away from us. And a few times I saw her roll her eyes at us," Lizzie said worriedly.
"I noticed too," Gordo said while stroking Lizzie's arms, "I just didn't know what to do about it. Did you think of anyone we can set her up with?"
"No, did you?" Lizzie asked.
"No. I guess we need to think harder," Gordo said, "But, for now I need to get ready for dinner and you do too. Wear something, um, something that will make Brad jealous that you are my girlfriend."
Lizzie laughed out loud and asked, "Why do you want to make your nerdy cousin jealous? And did you just call me your girlfriend?"
"I want to make Brad jealous because while he is a huge geek, he is also really smart; he totally kicked my butt at every strategy or mind game we played while he was here last time. It's hard on a guy's ego to loose every time, maybe if he sees that I have an awesome girlfriend he will be jealous of me! But, it will probably backfire, he probably doesn't even like girls." Gordo said, then he nervously cleared his throat and said, "I didn't mean to call you my girlfriend, um..."
"It's okay," Lizzie interrupted, then shyly she continued, "I want to be your girlfriend."
Gordo smiled and replied, "And I want to be your boyfriend too."
The two shared a tender kiss, then separated to get ready for dinner.
When Gordo got home Brad was not there yet. He ran up stairs and quickly showered and changed. When he got back downstairs his Dad was just pulling into the driveway from the airport. Gordo walked outside to help with Brad's bags. He did not recognize the person climbing out of the car. It was a taller, better-looking version of Brad. Gone were the thick glasses and the tube socks. He didn't seem to have a runny nose or anything. Compared to the Brad of a few summers ago, this seemed like a completely different person. A person that Gordo wouldn't mind being seen with.
"Hey Gordo," Brad said,
"Brad, good to see you," Gordo said, "What happened to you? You don't even look like the same guy!"
"Well, I just grew up; I got contacts, I take allergy shots. I just grew out of my nerdy stage. I'm still not the most popular person at school, but people don't avoid me anymore either," Brad said.
"Do you still like Star Trek?" Gordo asked.
"Of course, but I've come to realize that not everyone else does and so I shouldn't talk about it non-stop," Brad said.
"Well, I'm glad you're here. I'm sure we'll have a fun summer," Gordo offered.
"Providing you and your friends let me hang out with you this time," Brad said sadly.
"Sorry about that man. I don't really know what to say except that we were pretty immature last time you were here and it shouldn't be a problem this year," Gordo said awkwardly.
Miranda and Lizzie had walked over to the Gordon house together and on the way they discussed again how Lizzie and Gordo didn't want Miranda to feel left out. As they turned onto the Gordon's street they realized that if the good-looking boy standing in the Gordon's driveway was Brad, he had changed a lot!
"Is that Brad?" Lizzie asked.
"I don't know. That guy is way too cute to be Brad?" Miranda said.
"I guess he could have changed, but wow!" Lizzie said.
"Miranda, Lizzie," Gordo yelled to them, "You remember Brad."
As Miranda and Lizzie sped up to join Gordo and Brad in the driveway; Gordo noticed Brad checking out both the girls and thought, "So, he does like girls."
Miranda seemed slightly nervous as she approached Brad and said, "Hi, I'm Miranda, good to see you again."
They shook hands and Gordo put his arm around Lizzie and said, "And this is Lizzie, my girlfriend." Brad stepped closer and shook Lizzie's hand as well.
"So, you look a lot different from the last time you were here," Lizzie said.
"Yeah, I was just telling Gordo that I've grown up a lot since last time. You guys probably thought I was a big nerd last time," Brad said.
Mumbling, the girls tried to deny that they thought Brad was nerdy, but they knew they were fooling no one.
"I just hope you let me hang around with you this summer," Brad said.
"Sure!" Miranda and Lizzie said in unison. Gordo thought Lizzie seemed a little too eager about Brad's company this summer. He frowned at her and she understood what he was thinking. Lizzie leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I'm not excited about Brad like you think I am. Remember, I like you! I was thinking that Brad might be the perfect person to set up with Miranda."
Gordo's eyes lit up and he nodded at Lizzie. Maybe his summer wasn't ruined after all.
Author's note: Hey all! Thanks so much for all the great reviews. I am glad people are still enjoying this story as much as I am. Thanks also for all the great suggestions for me about where to go with the story. I think what I am doing with it is working out. Please offer any other suggestions you have! I'm hoping that people aren't too upset that I made up my own character for Miranda to hook up with. I like Matt and Miranda stories some of the time, but in this story Gordo, Lizzie and Miranda are 15 and 16 years old and going into 10th grade. Matt would only be 12 or 13 and that seemed like a weird match to me this time. Anyway, thanks again! Best, Tinkerbell (
"David?" his mother asked as she popped her head into his room, "I have to talk to you about something."
Gordo stood up from where he had been sitting on the floor and said, "Yeah?"
"You remember your cousin Brad, right?" she asked tentatively.
"Yeah, so what?" Gordo asked.
"Well, your Uncle Tom has to spend the summer in Taiwan for his job and he is sending Brad to stay with us," she said.
"The whole summer?" Gordo asked incredulously.
"Yes," his mother said apologetically.
"When does he get here?" Gordo asked.
"His flight arrives tonight." His mother said quietly and left the room.
Nothing could ruin his good mood, except for this. Gordo couldn't believe it; his perfect summer was going to be ruined by his nerdy cousin Brad. It had been a few years since he'd seen him, but he was sure he was still the same old Brad; the Brad who was allergic to grass and couldn't play outside, who wore thick glasses and tube socks up to his knees and the Brad who followed Gordo around like a lost puppy and messed up all his plans.
Gordo grabbed his stuff and as he headed out the front door he heard his mother call, "David, you need to be home for dinner by 6:30 to greet Brad. You can invite Miranda and Lizzie if you want to; just make sure you're here."
When he got to Lizzie's house he could hear Miranda and Lizzie already in the back yard. He circled around the house, flopped into a lounge chair and dramatically said, "Just kill me now!"
"Hey Gordo!" Lizzie called as she swam to the side of the pool, "What's the matter?"
"Do you guys remember my cousin Brad?" Gordo asked.
"You mean that dorky kid who was here a few summers ago?" Miranda asked.
"Yeah, that kid who couldn't stop talking about Star Trek?" Lizzie asked
"Yeah, that's the guy," Gordo said glumly, "He is spending the whole summer at my house. His Dad is going to Taiwan for the summer for work and I get stuck with Brad."
"That stinks, sorry Gordo," Miranda said.
"Maybe he's changed," Lizzie offered, "It won't be that bad."
"That's what we thought the last time he came, but remember how we spent the whole summer trying to ditch him?" Gordo asked.
Miranda and Lizzie nodded as they remembered.
"Can you guys come to dinner tonight?" Gordo asked, "I have to be home at 6:30 for dinner; my mom said I could invite you."
"Sure," both girls said with mock enthusiasm.
"Thanks, it will be more bearable with you there," Gordo said half- heartedly.
Gordo managed to enjoy his last Brad-free afternoon of the summer. He, Lizzie and Miranda enjoyed playing and lounging in and around the pool. Lizzie was wearing her bikini again and Gordo was enjoying putting his hands on her bare shoulders and stomach.
Miranda was also very aware of Gordo and Lizzie's enjoyment of each other. She fought the urge to roll her eyes in disgust every time they had their hands and lips all over each other. It wasn't that it was so gross, just hard to watch when she was waiting for someone to act the same way with. She didn't want to admit it, but she was feeling jealous of what Gordo and Lizzie had. She felt like a jerk, she'd worked so hard to get them together, now she wasn't sure she could handle what she'd created.
"Miranda, come in the pool with us!" Lizzie called. Miranda had been skimming through a magazine while Gordo and Lizzie were horsing around in the pool.
"Yeah, in a minute," Miranda answered. She had thought about making up an excuse and going home, but she didn't want to be a poor sport. She just had to hope that things would get better, but unless she stopped caring she wasn't sure what would change.
After playing in the pool for another hour the three decided they'd better get ready for dinner at the Gordon residence. Miranda left first leaving Gordo and Lizzie alone. They were sitting together on a lounge chair. Gordo was sitting behind Lizzie and she was leaning into his chest.
"Gordo, I'm not sure we're doing a great job of making sure Miranda doesn't feel like a third wheel. We were having a great time, but I felt like Miranda just wanted to get away from us. And a few times I saw her roll her eyes at us," Lizzie said worriedly.
"I noticed too," Gordo said while stroking Lizzie's arms, "I just didn't know what to do about it. Did you think of anyone we can set her up with?"
"No, did you?" Lizzie asked.
"No. I guess we need to think harder," Gordo said, "But, for now I need to get ready for dinner and you do too. Wear something, um, something that will make Brad jealous that you are my girlfriend."
Lizzie laughed out loud and asked, "Why do you want to make your nerdy cousin jealous? And did you just call me your girlfriend?"
"I want to make Brad jealous because while he is a huge geek, he is also really smart; he totally kicked my butt at every strategy or mind game we played while he was here last time. It's hard on a guy's ego to loose every time, maybe if he sees that I have an awesome girlfriend he will be jealous of me! But, it will probably backfire, he probably doesn't even like girls." Gordo said, then he nervously cleared his throat and said, "I didn't mean to call you my girlfriend, um..."
"It's okay," Lizzie interrupted, then shyly she continued, "I want to be your girlfriend."
Gordo smiled and replied, "And I want to be your boyfriend too."
The two shared a tender kiss, then separated to get ready for dinner.
When Gordo got home Brad was not there yet. He ran up stairs and quickly showered and changed. When he got back downstairs his Dad was just pulling into the driveway from the airport. Gordo walked outside to help with Brad's bags. He did not recognize the person climbing out of the car. It was a taller, better-looking version of Brad. Gone were the thick glasses and the tube socks. He didn't seem to have a runny nose or anything. Compared to the Brad of a few summers ago, this seemed like a completely different person. A person that Gordo wouldn't mind being seen with.
"Hey Gordo," Brad said,
"Brad, good to see you," Gordo said, "What happened to you? You don't even look like the same guy!"
"Well, I just grew up; I got contacts, I take allergy shots. I just grew out of my nerdy stage. I'm still not the most popular person at school, but people don't avoid me anymore either," Brad said.
"Do you still like Star Trek?" Gordo asked.
"Of course, but I've come to realize that not everyone else does and so I shouldn't talk about it non-stop," Brad said.
"Well, I'm glad you're here. I'm sure we'll have a fun summer," Gordo offered.
"Providing you and your friends let me hang out with you this time," Brad said sadly.
"Sorry about that man. I don't really know what to say except that we were pretty immature last time you were here and it shouldn't be a problem this year," Gordo said awkwardly.
Miranda and Lizzie had walked over to the Gordon house together and on the way they discussed again how Lizzie and Gordo didn't want Miranda to feel left out. As they turned onto the Gordon's street they realized that if the good-looking boy standing in the Gordon's driveway was Brad, he had changed a lot!
"Is that Brad?" Lizzie asked.
"I don't know. That guy is way too cute to be Brad?" Miranda said.
"I guess he could have changed, but wow!" Lizzie said.
"Miranda, Lizzie," Gordo yelled to them, "You remember Brad."
As Miranda and Lizzie sped up to join Gordo and Brad in the driveway; Gordo noticed Brad checking out both the girls and thought, "So, he does like girls."
Miranda seemed slightly nervous as she approached Brad and said, "Hi, I'm Miranda, good to see you again."
They shook hands and Gordo put his arm around Lizzie and said, "And this is Lizzie, my girlfriend." Brad stepped closer and shook Lizzie's hand as well.
"So, you look a lot different from the last time you were here," Lizzie said.
"Yeah, I was just telling Gordo that I've grown up a lot since last time. You guys probably thought I was a big nerd last time," Brad said.
Mumbling, the girls tried to deny that they thought Brad was nerdy, but they knew they were fooling no one.
"I just hope you let me hang around with you this summer," Brad said.
"Sure!" Miranda and Lizzie said in unison. Gordo thought Lizzie seemed a little too eager about Brad's company this summer. He frowned at her and she understood what he was thinking. Lizzie leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I'm not excited about Brad like you think I am. Remember, I like you! I was thinking that Brad might be the perfect person to set up with Miranda."
Gordo's eyes lit up and he nodded at Lizzie. Maybe his summer wasn't ruined after all.
Author's note: Hey all! Thanks so much for all the great reviews. I am glad people are still enjoying this story as much as I am. Thanks also for all the great suggestions for me about where to go with the story. I think what I am doing with it is working out. Please offer any other suggestions you have! I'm hoping that people aren't too upset that I made up my own character for Miranda to hook up with. I like Matt and Miranda stories some of the time, but in this story Gordo, Lizzie and Miranda are 15 and 16 years old and going into 10th grade. Matt would only be 12 or 13 and that seemed like a weird match to me this time. Anyway, thanks again! Best, Tinkerbell (